Five held trade in body parts
2005-05-13 20:28
Blantyre - At least five people accused of being involved in ritual killings aimed at removing human body parts to sell them, have been arrested in Malawi, said police on Friday.
Another man, a local chief believed to be the middleman for the macabre trade, was on the run.
Kelvin Maigwa of police said: "Yes, the five are in custody and three of them have already confessed to the crime."
Maigwa said the five were arrested in the central highland district of Dedza, about 80km south of Lilongwe.
He said the suspects were arrested after a middle-aged man was found murdered with his private parts cut off in the district.
'Killers remove breasts, genitalia'
He said: "Three of the five have revealed that they murdered the man because a local chief had promised them 4 000 Malawi Kwacha (about US$37&nbps;000) each for the private parts."
The unidentified local chief vanished immediately after the five were arrested.
There had been increasing reports that a group of serial killers were murdering people and removing breasts and genitalia.
Reports said there was a growing market for the human trophies believed to boost success in business in the poor southern African nation, which had a reputation for superstition.
Police had also set up camp in the southern district of Chiradzulu, about 20km east of the commercial capital, Blantyre, after more than ten women were murdered recently in serial killings. All the women had their breasts cut off.
- SAPA